The Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) is a modern, realistic force-on-force training system. An exemplary MILES system is the MILES 2000® system produced by Cubic Defense Systems, Inc. As a standard for direct-fire tactical engagement simulation, MILES 2000 is used by the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force. MILES 2000 has also been adopted by international forces such as NATO, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, and the Kuwait Land Forces.
MILES 2000 includes wearable systems for individual soldiers and marines as well as devices for use with combat vehicles (including pyrotechnic devices), personnel carriers, antitank weapons, and pop-up and stand-alone targets. The MILES 2000 laser-based system allows troops to fire infrared “bullets” from the same weapons and vehicles that they would use in actual combat. These simulated combat events produce realistic audio/visual effects and casualties, identified as a “hit,” “miss,” or “kill.” The events may be recorded, replayed and analyzed in detail during After Action Reviews which give commanders and participants an opportunity to review their performance during the training exercise. Unique player ID codes and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology ensure accurate data collection, including casualty assessments and participant positioning.
MILES systems may some day be phased out. One possible system that may replace MILES is the One Tactical Engagement Simulation System (OneTESS) currently being studied by the U.S. Army. Every aspect of the OneTESS design focuses on being engagement-centric, meaning that target-shooter pairings (often referred to as geometric pairings) need to be determined. In other words, the OneTESS system will need to predict, after a player fires a weapon, what the target is and whether or not a hit or miss results when a player activates (e.g. shoots) a weapon. In order to establish target-shooter pairings, the OneTESS system needs to determine what the intended target was and whether or not a hit or miss occurred, both of which depend on the orientation of the weapon, and other factors (e.g., weapon type, type of ammunition, etc.). Accurate determinations of the target-shooter pairings and accurate determinations of hit or miss decisions depend on the accuracy in which the orientation of the weapon at the time of firing can be determined.